New Adult Fiction

Sarah Jane is an new novel from James Sallis. "Sarah Jane Pullman is a good cop with a complicated past. From her small-town chicken-farming roots through her runaway adolescence, court-ordered Army stint, ill-advised marriage and years slinging scrambled eggs over greasy spoon griddles, Sarah Jane unfolds her life story, a parable about memory, atonement, and finding shape in chaos. Her life takes an unexpected turn when she is named the de facto sheriff of a rural town, investigating the mysterious disappearance of the sheriff whose shoes she’s filling—and the even more mysterious realities of the life he was hiding from his own colleagues and closest friends. This kaleidoscopic character study sparkles in every dark and bright detail—a virtuoso work by a master of both the noir and the tender aspects of human nature." (from Amazon.com)

Zora Neale Hurston's Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick "is an outstanding collection of stories about love and migration, gender and class, racism and sexism that proudly reflect African American folk culture. Brought together for the first time in one volume, they include eight of Hurston’s “lost” Harlem stories, which were found in forgotten periodicals and archives. These stories challenge conceptions of Hurston as an author of rural fiction and include gems that flash with her biting, satiric humor, as well as more serious tales reflective of the cultural currents of Hurston’s world. All are timeless classics that enrich our understanding and appreciation of this exceptional writer’s voice and her contributions to America’s literary traditions." (from Amazon.com)

Blues in the Dark is a thriller from Raymond Benson. "Karissa Glover is a movie producer who moves into a decrepit but functional old mansion in the West Adams Heights area of Los Angeles, where black celebrities of yesteryear—Hattie McDaniel, Louise Beavers, and others—once resided. The former owner was a white actress, Blair Kendrick, who often starred as the "bad girl"—a femme fatale—in films noirof the 1940s. However, Blair’s career was cut short when she was tragically killed by the mob after allegedly witnessing the slaying of a corrupt studio head in 1949. As Karissa and her producing partner decide to develop a modern film noir about Blair Kendrick, malevolent forces from the past attempt to stop them—first with intimidation, and then with the thread of murder. Is this because Karissa has learned that Blair was involved in a then-taboo interracial relationship with jazz musician Hank Marley? What really happened on the night that death struck in a dimly lit studio mogul’s office? The consequences of Blair and Hank’s doomed love affair still resonate in the present day as Karissa attempts to unravel Blair’s secrets." (from Amazon.com)

The Chestnut Man is a thriller from Soren Sveistrup, creator of The Killing. "If you find one, he's already found you. A psychopath is terrorizing Copenhagen. His calling card is a “chestnut man”—a handmade doll made of matchsticks and two chestnuts—which he leaves at each bloody crime scene. Examining the dolls, forensics makes a shocking discovery—a fingerprint belonging to a young girl, a government minister’s daughter who had been kidnapped and murdered a year ago. A tragic coincidence—or something more twisted? To save innocent lives, a pair of detectives must put aside their differences to piece together the Chestnut Man’s gruesome clues. Because it’s clear that the madman is on a mission that is far from over. And no one is safe." (from Amazon.com)

Author Zach Fehst delivers a magical thriller with American Magic. "When an enigmatic message uploaded to the dark web turns out to contain an ancient secret giving regular people the power to do impossible things, like levitate cars or make themselves invisible, American government officials panic. They know the demo videos on YouTube and instructions for incantations could turn from fantastical amusement to dangerous weapon at the drop of the hat, and they scramble to keep the information out of the wrong hands. They tap Ben Zolstra, an ex-CIA field operative whose history with the Agency is conflicted at best, to lead the team that’s racing to contain the dangerous knowledge—and track down the mysterious figure behind the leak who threatens that even more dangerous spells will be released one by one until the world as we know it no longer exists. This sweeping, globe-spanning thriller explores the dark consequences of a question mankind has been asking for centuries: What if magic were real?" (from Amazon.com)

Tim Dorsey pens his 23rd Serge Storms novel with Naked Came the Florida Man. "Though another devastating hurricane is raking Florida, its awesome power can’t stop the Sunshine State’s most loyal son, Serge A. Storms, from his latest scenic road trip: a cemetery tour. With his best bro Colman riding shotgun, Serge hits the highway in his ’69 gold Plymouth Satellite, putting pedal to the metal on a grand tour of the past. Beginning in Key West, the sunshine boys’ odyssey includes a forgotten mass grave in Palm Beach county holding the remains of African Americans killed by the Great Hurricane of 1928, and the resting place of one world-famous television dolphin (RIP Flipper) from the 1960s. But one deadland—a haunted old sugar field—holds more than just the bones of those who’ve passed. For years, local children have whispered about a boogeyman hiding among the stalks. Could it be the same maniac known as Naked Florida man who’s been raising hell all over the place? There are few things Serge loves more than solving a good mystery and bestowing justice on miscreants who sully his beloved home’s good name. With his partner bong boy, Florida’s psycho superhero will find the truth in this hilariously violent delight—packed with history, lore, and plenty of motel antics." (from Amazon.com)

Digital Resources for Those With a Library Card

Because we are closed to the public through May 18th, this week’s blog features the digital resources available to our patrons and to the general public who have a library card. You will need to go to our homepage: https://wcvpl.biblionix.com and scroll down the page until you find the following resource links on the left. We are proud to be able to offer these services especially in times like these.

If you happen to have a library card and know your PIN, you may wish to take advantage of our RBdigital resources. RBdigital offers audiobooks, eBooks, digital graphic novels, and magazines. You can also check out Acorn TV (which contains shows from Great Britain, Canada, and Australia) for one week at a time, The Great Courses for learning and personal development courses, Hoonuit for video-based software learning, and Artistworks which offers video-based art and music instruction. 

RBdigital is available as an app on both Apple and Android devices. When you go to our page https://wcvpl.biblionix.com, you will need to login with your library card number and PIN (password) in the upper right-hand corner. Then scroll down and select the RBdigital resource on the left side of the page. This should take you to the RBdigital homepage where you will choose “Register” in the upper right corner if you do not have an account. Follow the instructions for setting up your account and then download the app onto your phone or tablet.  The only downside to this is that if your library account has a fine or needs to be updated, or if you are having trouble setting up your account, you will have to wait until we reopen to clear up any problems. 

hoopla is a digital app that allows you to check out up to 3 e-audio books or e-books per month. There is a wide selection of adult fiction and nonfiction as well as juvenile and young adult titles. Some of the juvenile titles also have a read along function allowing your child to follow along as the story is read to them. hoopla is easy to use. Set up an account with your email address and library card number.

One last thing, we would like our patrons to remember that we will not attach any fines to the materials you have checked out for as long as we remain closed. Please remember that audio CDs, DVDs, Playaways, Playaway Views, and any learning games and toys checked out from downstairs cannot be put in the book drop. Hang on to those and we will be happy to take those once we re-open.

Digital Resources. No Library Card Required!

Because we are closed to the public through May 18th, this week’s blog features the digital resources available to our patrons and to the general public who may not have a library card. The only thing necessary to access these resources is an internet connection and a computer, tablet, or smartphone. We are proud to be able to offer these services especially in times like these. 

First, I would like to cover those resources that do not require a login and can, therefore, be accessed directly from our catalog page: https://wcvpl.biblionix.com. As you scroll down, on the left side of the page, you will find a list of resources available. The following items on that list do not require a library card to use: AudioBookCloud, RomanceBookCloud, TeenBookCloud, TumbleBooks, and TumbleMath. (These resources will not require a login through August 31st since the parent company has decided it would be a good idea to make them open to everyone during the COVID-19 crisis.)  

AudioBookCloud is on online collection of audio books available for libraries and schools to have access to classic literature, nonfiction, young adult, new titles, and Spanish language audio books. You can search for your favorite author or title as well as browse through the various genres. There is no software to download, because you stream directly from the website. The downside is that you cannot listen while offline. 

Both RomanceBookCloud and TeenBookCloud are like the AudioBookCloud in that there are multiple genres to choose from and they must be read online. RomanceBookCloud has a core collection of more than 1700 eBook titles from the various romance sub-genres—Contemporary, Inspirational, Historical, Regency, Paranormal, and Sci-fi. TeenBookCloud is a collection of eBooks for grades 7-12. The selection includes graphic novels, enhanced novels, classic literature, National Geographic videos, and audiobooks. It also includes a Common Core portal for grade level reading. 

TumbleBooks is an online collection of animated, talking picture books which help to teach young children the joys of reading. Some of the titles even have a read-along function that allows your child to follow along as the story is read to them. TumbleBooks also has a variety of Story books, read-alongs, eBooks, graphic novels, nonfiction, videos as well as some puzzles and games to keep children engaged. There is also Accelerated Reader information so that your child can keep up with their AR reading. 

Finally, we have TumbleMath which offers math picture books, lesson plans, and quizzes in everything from counting, addition, and subtraction to graphing, probability, and finance. The picture books have subtle animation and narration to help your child learn to love math. The quiz section has quizzes just for TumbleMath, but also a selection of Common Core based quizzes. 

One last thing, we would like our patrons to remember that we will not attach any fines to the materials you have checked out for as long as we remain closed. Please remember that audio CDs, DVDs, Playaways, Playaway Views, and any learning games and toys checked out from downstairs cannot be put in the book drop. Hang on to those and we will be happy to take those once we re-open.